In Preaching Articles: "Guarding Your Heart"

Doing Ministry Without Losing Your Soul Part 2

By Lance Witt on May 17, 2024

"In ministry, there are certain tensions that we must live with. Sometimes they seem contradictory, but they are tensions that are actually healthy for us."

Scripture: Philippians 3:7-8, Psalm 27:4, 2 Corinthians 3:18

Tags: Pastoral Ministry, church ministry, Healthy Ministry, Tensions in Ministry, Leadership, leadership, Balance, pastoral leadership  (view more)  (view less)

Doing Ministry Without Losing Your Soul Part 3

By Lance Witt on May 22, 2024

When pastoring is your job, it adds complexity to simply loving Jesus. To live and lead from a healthy soul, we must learn the art of separating our own personal pursuit of loving Jesus from our “ministry” of leading in the church.

Scripture: Deuteronomy 30:19-20

Tags: soul care, avoiding burnout, Putting Christ First, Sincerity with God, church leadership, time with God, pastoral leadership, Pastoral Ministry  (view more)  (view less)

8 Ideas To Make Your Christmas Eve Service Memorable

By Josh Reich on Dec 20, 2024

Christmas Eve is coming, and millions of people will walk into a church to experience something. But what will they get when they walk into your church or mine?

Tags: Simplicity, Gospel centered, church leadership, Christmas Service, Christmas, Advent, Christmas Eve, invite  (view more)  (view less)

No More Email: A Productivity Experiment That’s Paying Off

By Carey Nieuwhof on Nov 17, 2023

How are your email habits affecting your effectiveness?

Tags: church leadership, communication, Stress, effective, productivity, email, Pastoral Ministry, avoiding burnout, stress, Communication  (view more)  (view less)

3 Building Blocks Of A Truly Memorable Sermon

By Sherman Haywood Cox on May 26, 2023

Help your listeners connect with your preaching points--and their purpose!

Scripture: Hebrews 11:35-40

Tags: strong points, illustrate, preaching, Preaching, Building Blocks, memorable sermon  (view more)  (view less)

2 Things Every Pastor Should Do Before Preaching On Marriage

By Josh Reich on Oct 9, 2025

It's hard to do but incredibly helpful to your church. Your marriage is unique because of who you are and who your wife is.

Tags: Preaching, preaching

9 Ways Clarity Benefits Leaders

By Charles Stone on May 25, 2023

How would you rank your clarity in your ministry? Here are nine benefits of being clear as you lead your church.

Tags: leadership, Preaching, Clarity, Leadership, preaching  (view more)  (view less)

Pastoring From A Place Of Gratitude

By Lance Witt on May 29, 2024

Does gratitude flavor your life? Are the words that flow from your lips and the thoughts that race through your mind marked by gratitude?

Scripture: Psalm 118:24, Colossians 2:7

Tags: Leadership, gratitude, Grumbling, Ingratitude, pastoral leadership, Pastoral Ministry, Evaluate attitude, leadership, Thankfulness  (view more)  (view less)

Mark Dever: Do Your Listeners Feel The Full Offense Of The Gospel?

By Mark Dever on Dec 8, 2018

Here's why the pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church isn't interested in being cool.

Scripture: Psalm 119:11

Tags: Preaching, cool, mark dever, phillip jensen

Should You Preach On A Topic That Doesn't Stir Your Passions?

By Josh Reich on Jul 3, 2019

If a pastor isn’t careful, he will only preach on the things he finds important.

Tags: Preaching, preaching

4 Ways Your Church Can Help People Simplify Christmas

By Karl Vaters on Dec 26, 2018

It may be the most wonderful time of the year, but Christmas is also the busiest.

Tags: Christmas, Christmas Eve, Holidays, Giving, teach, simplify, Christmas Joy, church leadership  (view more)  (view less)

3 Things People Hate To Tell You About Your Preaching

By Dr. Larry Moyer on Jun 14, 2021

Not everyone will tell you how they feel about your preaching. Larry Moyer offers three popular frustrations about preaching that people often keep to themselves.

Scripture: John 2:1-11, 1 Corinthians 9:16

Tags: Communication, Preaching, Feedback, Communication Speech, communication  (view more)  (view less)

Five Ways To Keep Your Church Small And How To Overcome Them

By Dr. Larry Moyer on Jul 18, 2020

God wants a church to grow because it's winning the lost to Christ and discipling them to reach others.

Scripture: 1 Samuel 16:7

Tags: Preaching, Church Growth, Growth in Christ

One Thing That Will Make Or Break Your Preaching In The 21st Century

By Dr. Larry Moyer on May 22, 2020

There is an item you need to be a break-through preacher--without this item, you will simply be a speaker.

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:15

Tags: Preaching, illustration

Get It Right Before You Start: Safeguard Your Sermon Series

By SermonCentral .com on Jun 30, 2020

Avoid these ten critical mistakes that could prevent an effective evangelistic sermon series at your church.

Tags: Repentance, preaching, Truth, Preaching, repentance, eternal life, New Way  (view more)  (view less)